Since the emergence of modern plumbing systems, the living environment of humans has been greatly improved. Cities are cleaner, and people live a more sanitary lifestyle. Various types of plumbing systems have been developed since then, but a typical plumbing system comprises a drain, pipes, valves, fittings and fixtures installed for the distribution of potable water for daily use. Clogging is a common hassle that some plumbing systems have. Some of the most common causes of clogs are soap, grease, food residuals, human hair, particles and mineral sediments, and foreign objects (e.g., a piece of a toy), which will be referred to herein as clogging debris, but it is to be understood that any possible clogging material can cause a clogging. Clogging is caused by the accumulation of clogging debris at one location of a plumbing system to the extent that it prevents water to pass through.
Current technologies provide both physical solutions (e.g., air pump, drain snake) to unclog a clogged plumbing system, and non-physical solutions (e.g., biological or chemical solutions/gels). For decades, drain snakes have been among the most popular physical unclogging devices. A drain snake is an auger type device that is used to unclog clogged drains, sewers, pipes, etc. It is also sometimes called a plumber's snake, or a sewer snake. A typical drain snake comprises a long and thick metal wire. This design can be relatively big and heavy.
In some situations where clogging of a drain has occurred, a drain snake can be used, whether by a residential home owner or by a professional plumber. To use a typical drain snake, the wire of the snake is thread through a drain hole and into a drain pipe system. The wire is then pushed forward along the pipe to reach the location of the clog. After the plumbing system is unclogged, the wire is retracted from the pipe. In some conditions, the user uses her bare hands to touch, advance, and/or rotate the wire. This process is both inconvenient and creates sanitary issues. Using a drain snake can be unsanitary because the drain snakes are not typically closed systems and the wires are often exposed. For the same reason, when the wire is retracted from the plumbing system, sewer water residual left on the wire will be exposed to the living environment. Moreover, some auger tips are sharp and pointed, and it can be dangerous for the user to handle such device with bare hands. Accordingly, when using a typical drain snake, the user has to be careful and avoid potential injury from the auger tip. After the user is finished using the drain snake, she may need to pay attention to clean her hands, as well as the surrounding environment. Further, because a drain snake is not part of the plumbing system, it requires extra storage space, which is both inconvenient and creates further sanitary concerns because residual debris or other contaminants could be left on the wire. For the same reason, since it takes extra effort to locate and setup the device every time before use, a user tends not to use a typical drain snake in a preventive manner, such as for routine periodic use (e.g., monthly) to maintain the drain system.
As an alternative to physical unclogging devices, products including biological organisms or chemical solutions can be used. For instance, a user can pour such a solution into the clogged drain, and the solution will gradually dissolve the clogging debris. Non-physical solutions can have several disadvantages. First, active ingredients in these chemical products can degrade over time. Therefore, chemical solutions typically have shorter life than physical devices. Second, certain ingredients in chemical solutions are harmful to humans and/or the environment. A typical chemical solution comprises ingredients such as strong alkaline/acids or chemical derivatives of a strong alkaline/acid. Such ingredients, usually during their degradation, can release poisonous gas or other byproducts that are harmful to humans and living environment. Therefore, chemical solutions can create safety concerns.
The present invention addresses these and other problems by providing a unified, self-contained, chemical-free unclogging device that can be adapted to a home plumbing system.